Did everyone forget about the Bears in the bye week? Did you have an enjoyable Sunday without the aggravation and frustration of watching Jay Cutler on the turf and Lovie Smith on the sidelines? Worry no longer friend, because the Bears are in Toronto today to take on the 0-7 Buffalo Bills. Let's break it down!
(4-3) Chicago Bears at (kinda)
(0-7) Buffalo Bills
It's hard to say this is a home game for the Bills, who are so close to leaving Buffalo that I literally starting typing "Toronto Bills" a few lines up. Mike Martz brings in his struggling offense to face a Bill defense that gave up 274 yards on the ground to Kansas City last weekend. If ever he had an obvious blueprint for victory, this is it. Jay Cutler could hand off 50 times today and the Bears could still win by two scores. If Jay hits the ground more than three times, Martz isn't doing his job. Matt Forte and Chester Taylor are extraordinarily rested thanks to their lack of activity the past few weeks, so I would expect their rust to get knocked off this afternoon with a ton of carries. Greg Olsen should factor heavily into what I hope is a limited passing attack, getting past the soft Bill linebackers and sitting in front the secondary. Speaking of which, the Buffalo back four are the only players with which the Bears should be fairly concerned. Jairus Byrd is a play-maker at safety, even if he gambles a bit too much and is overrated because of his interception numbers. Drayton Florence shouldn't be over-looked at corner either.
On the always susceptible offensive line, the Bears are going to have an easier time picking up pressure. Marcus Stroud used to be a name at defensive tackle, but he's so over the hill he's at the bottom of it again. The Bills won't put recently acquired linebacker Shawne Merriman on the field today, so the mostly 3-4/4-3 hybrid defense the Bills run won't have any dynamic pass rushers on the field. So... easy day? Right?
Lovie Smith's defense can't be too cocky today, facing a Bills offense that put up 30+ on the Baltimore Ravens a few weeks ago. Ryan Fitzpatrick has been playing way over his head as of late, looking like an actual answer for Buffalo at quarterback. He's backed up by a solid duo at running back. C.J. Spiller is a threat every time he gets the ball and Fred Jackson is their pounder. On the outside, Lee Evans is Buffalo's only receiver worth a look. That means he'll probably go off for over 100 yards in typical Bears-opponent fashion. After not making a heavy impact against the Redskins, I expect Julius Peppers to put Fitzpatrick on the ground regularly. Lance Briggs and Brian Urlacher need to corral the Buffalo backfield while the secondary keeps an eye on Evans. Game. Set. Match.
The Odds:
Bears are a three-point favorite on the road. (Again, it means Vegas thinks this is a "pick 'em.")
The Prediction:
This is one of those games the Bears like to lose. Still, coming off a bye week I have to believe the Bears will have a good enough gameplan in place to get a win. It likely won't be pretty, but it doesn't have to be.
How many heart attacks will Joe have today?
Ugh. Three or four? I'm sure there will be an anger-ball or two tossed Lovie Smith's way today. I'm just feeling it.
Message to the Bears:
For the love of Ditka, don't be the first team to lose to Buffalo this year. Leave that distinction for the Lions next week.
Bear down and Happy Jay Cutler day!
Keywords: Buffalo Bills, C.J. Spiller, Chester Taylor, Chicago Bears, Greg Olsen, Jay Cutler, Joe Anello, Julius Peppers, Lovie Smith, Matt Forte, NFL, Ryan Fitzpatrick
